Saleh's Biggest Mistake Was Thinking Iran Would Share Power

London, 5 Dec - Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, the President of Yemen, urged the people in Houthi-controlled areas to rise up against the militias that are backed by Iran. The militias that have just killed their once ally, Ali Abdullah Saleh, a former president of the country.

Hadi spoke to the people in a televised address, reassuring them that the Yemeni army that is surrounding the capital city was working to get rid of the Houthi rebels. He said that he wants to change the course of the war so that a new page can be opened – a future that includes democracy, freedom and pluralism.

It seems that the murder of Saleh has become a turning point in the civil war and he called for “unity and steadfastness in the face of these sectarian militias” so that the “nightmare” they are living through can end.

Saleh broke ranks on Saturday because of disagreements with allies. Two days later he was dead. The Houthis entered his home and he fled south. His four-vehicle convoy was stopped by the rebels and he was assassinated along with several of his allies.

Videos of his bloody and lifeless body were spread on social media and he was dumped in a pickup truck.

Saleh, who ruled the country for more than three decades was replaced by Hadi, his deputy, in 2012. He joined forces against him to stage a coup and in 2015 Saudi Arabia set up a military coalition to restore Hadi’s internationally recognised government.

A few days ago, Saleh turned away from the Houthis and expressed willingness to negotiate with Saudi Arabia’s coalition.

This is just another crime that has been committed by the Houthis that are backed by Iran.

The Hadi government said that it was a “sad day” when the former president was killed and called his murder “inhumane”. It called on the people of Yemen to back the legitimate government which is trying to take power away from the Houthis that have caused nothing but destruction and chaos in the country. It emphasised that the Houthis want to implement Iran’s sectarian agenda the whole way across the Middle East.

A spokesman for the legitimate government said: “The act is further proof that these militias adopt an ideology of exclusion. We call upon the Yemeni people to make the assassination of Ali Abdullah Saleh a turning point in the country’s history and encourage all people to join ranks with the legitimate government and against the evil terrorists.”

It is expected that the Yemenis will unite and fight against the influence of Iran. Hopefully this will spell the end of Iranian influence in the country.

The biggest mistake Saleh made was thinking that he could share power with the Houthis. Iran would never allow this to happen and it was his error to oversee this. It was an error that cost him his life just like the others that stood in the way of Iran’s goals. This is a strategy that the Iranian regime has used for a long time and there is no sign of it changing any time soon.